


Tell Those Girls

by SuchaHag



Category: Rory McCann - Fandom, Scottish Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Inspiration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-10-07 08:08:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17362232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuchaHag/pseuds/SuchaHag
Summary: Absence drives fans to take matters into their own hands, but how far will they take it?Begins in early September, 2019💃💃💃🧔💃💃💃





	1. Deprivation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MaxBetta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxBetta/gifts), [mynameisnoneya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameisnoneya/gifts).



> Written for fun, names have been changed to protect the (not so) innocent.  
> Not beta'd, please forgive typos. 😘

After checking the clock for the hundredth time, Aurora sat in front of her laptop, put on her headphones, and logged into Skype. It was time for the weekly “Hound's Harem bitch session”, as it was affectionately called. In no time, her screen was flooded with various avatars and voices started coming through her headset…  
“Hey, Issa!”  
“Adelie, how is it going?”  
“What’s up, Kat?”  
“Lizzie you on?”  
“Margarita, you are cutting out.”

Soon after the greetings, a heaviness fell over the group.  
“Nothing.”  
“No pictures.”  
“No sightings”  
“No announcements”  
“No filming.”  
“He disappeared.”

The “he” was Rory McCann. Over a year ago he hinted that he was going to go on a long hiatus. The Harem held on for nearly 8 months of nothing. It wasn’t their longest dry spell, they knew they just had to hang on until season 8 of “Game of Thrones” and then they would see him again. They filled their time with fanfics, pic sets and a lot of daydreaming. When the new season aired in April, they were ecstatic. They caught glimpses of him at events, the odd interview here and there, and of course watched him on the show itself. However, when the series finale hit less than two months later, Rory vanished again. No projects, no conventions, no advertisements, not even voice-overs. After a few months of withdrawal, the Hound’s Harem started a Skype chat that met once a week. Aurora joked at first that it was a support group. After over a month of weekly sessions, it became more than that.

This night the ladies were at their wit's end.  
“I watched Attila twice...today!” Aurora groaned.  
“That’s nothing, I watched “Alexander” the directors cut!” Adelie replied.  
“I watched “Hot Fuzz” so much, I had an X-rated dream about Lurch” Kat whispered.  
“I bought another Sandor Funko Pop! off eBay. I have 6 now,” Lizzie chimed in.  
“I restarted “Book Group”... again” Margarita sighed.  
“I miss him.” Issa whimpered.  
‘Hey! Let’s do a collaborative fan fiction!” Adelie exclaimed.  
“About The Hound?” Lizzie asked  
“No better, let's do a real person fiction about him!” Margarita jumped in.  
Aurora started laughing, “How about we write it as a script? Maybe if it’s exciting enough, he’ll re-appear to act in it!”  
“Yes! Let’s write something that would lure him out.” Kat cried.  
It was the most excited they have been in months. They hang up after promising to think of a setting, character profile and basic plot. Aurora immediately set up a shared folder with task list and page for an outline.  
After a few days, it was decided that the main character was a special international agent acting as a courier. Agent 3048, Alex Rail only travels by water, stopping at specific ports to meet with his operatives. Boats, intrigue, action...they were aiming to hit everything they could to entice him.  
“We need ‘Rail girls’,” Kat brought up one night.  
“Like a harem?” Issa laughed.  
“Exactly!” Lizzie jumped in.  
“All together? I don't think I want to see that, let alone write it,” Margarita chimed in  
“She's right…” Adelie mused.  
“A girl at every port!” Aurora squealed.  
Everyone excitedly started talking at once, fleshing out the idea. The outline started to get longer as the story took shape. They were deciding on girls and ports when a thought made Aurora gasp.  
“What is it?” Lizzie asked.  
“We make it six women. Six ports. Let's write ourselves in. WE can be the ‘Rail Girls’.” There was silence for a beat.  
“Holy shit.”  
“Let's do it!”  
“Who wouldn't want to be “railed” by him? I'm in!”  
“Even better, why don't we each write our own scene?”  
Aurora loved the idea and the dark chuckling that erupted from her headphones assured her that she was not alone. “Before we get too excited,” she warned, “our main purpose is a script. Even if it's just for fun...we aren't writing porn.”  
“When we are done with this, we can write an explicit version!” Adelie proclaimed. That idea was met with laughter and wholehearted agreement.  
The idea was settled, they collaborated on the beginning, action and travel sequences. But port liaisons were going to be written individually for their own parts. Aurora found some script scenes of popular movies online and uploaded them to the shared folder to act as a template. They wished each other well and agreed to meet the next week.  
During the week the shared document grew. The plot ended up being simple, Agent 3048, Alex Rail was a courier that spent his time sailing the coasts of Europe to Africa, serving as a go-between to operatives in the WPB (World Protection Bureau). The head of the agency is poisoned, the coastal operatives are suspected and Agent Rail is sent to investigate in an attempt to flush out the mole. As he travels, the women he is involved with are revealed. They wanted to write an exciting climax and were stuck. Aurora suggested they work on their individual scenes, and hopefully, an ending would come to them.  
Aurora knew that they were not official screenwriters, but at the same time, she was impressed by how everything was looking. So for the hell of it, she called her friend Emily that worked as a production manager in Los Angeles. It was mainly commercial work that she did, but a script was a script. Emily thought it sounded fun and agreed to look it over to give feedback in terms of formatting. Aurora added her as a reader and told the girls they had an official script beta.  
That night, she stared at her own blank document, it was time to write her piece.


	2. Blacklist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora comes clean.

Nearly two weeks later, everyone's parts were done. It was a great read and it was a wonderful exercise to fill time. They debated posting it, but Aurora said they should keep it offline at least for a couple months so they can enjoy it for themselves. Very soon after the main story was finished, the addendum of explicit chapters came up and they were hilarious to read. Soon after that, it seemed the creative block was lifted from everyone's minds and Archive of our Own became flooded with various other fics. Mainly Sansan and a couple of Sandor and original fictional characters too. Aurora, however, was uneasy during this whole time for she harbored a secret from the rest of the harem. She always meant to tell them because it really wasn't a big deal in her mind. However, as she stared at the new email on her screen it suddenly  _ did _ become a big deal. She quickly sent a message out to the girls, “emergency Hound's Harem meeting tonight, usual time.” She hoped they would all login because this was something she was afraid to do once and she certainly didn't want to have to do it twice. She paced her house for the rest of the afternoon waiting for the evening to fall. Soon it was nearly time so she sat and readied herself. She even poured herself a Scotch on the rocks to steady her nerves. Soon it began and after the usual greetings, Aurora took a deep breath, “ladies, I did something. It was a complete whim and I didn't think it through fully and I should have told you from the get-go.” When she paused, she was met with absolute silence. She had certainly gotten their attention. She continued, “after reading our finished piece, Emily suggested that I submit it blindly to a project website called “Blacklist”. It was mainly to get feedback from people in the industry.”

“What the hell is Blacklist?” Margarita asked slowly. Aurora could hear a slight edge to her voice. 

She swallowed and answered, “Blacklist is a platform where scriptwriters submit their work and production companies can read works to look for projects. It's also a place to get feedback and to even get offers for script polishing. Emily has an account and I told her to put it up, only indicating at it was an ‘HH Creation’.”

“Holy shit, Aurora!”

“Did you think maybe it would be nice to tell us?”

“When did you do this?”

“Did anyone actually read it?”

“Are we the laughingstock of Hollywood now?”

Aurora could hear her heart beating in her ears, but she attempted to answer everyone. “I wanted to tell you. I got so wrapped up with reading the story and writing the spin-offs that I completely forgot. Honestly, I didn't think it was a big deal. Especially since I didn't hear any feedback, it just got buried. It was submitted after Emily read our final copy.”

“So it's been on this site for several weeks!?”

“Yes...but that's not all.” Aurora listened for the silence again before she continued, “I received an email today from a production liaison. ImageMakers is interested and Robert Zemeckis was intrigued. Someone wants this movie made, and they want a meeting.”

Soon her headphones are filled with screams and questions. Aurora explained that the company was willing to fly everybody out on their expense they just needed to coordinate travel and a time frame. 

“But, this was a movie for Rory!” Kat said.

“Yeah, this is Rory's part.” Lizzie agreed.

“No one else can be Alex Rail!” Issa chimed in.

“Aurora, what did you tell them?” Adelie cut to the chase, she knew there was more to this story and she wanted answers.

“Those were my thoughts exactly, I replied that the story was written specifically for one actor and we would not agree to it unless he was offered the part first.” Aurora swallowed and continued, “after I sent the reply, I sent a copy of the script to his agent saying he was the first choice.” 

A collective “WHAT?!” rang through her ears.

“They needed a heads up, don't you think? Right after I sent it - that's when I called this meeting. Nothing may come of this, but  _ something _ could come of this. Ladies, if he agrees and the producers agree...this might happen.”

The silence that met her ears before was replaced by excited screams.


	3. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The harem gathers.

A few weeks later, Aurora arrived at LAX. She did a double take when she saw her name on a placard after getting her luggage. She was not expecting to be met in such a fashion. She was ushered to a car and she made her way to Universal. She and the girls were being put up at the Sheraton on the property. They were scheduled for one meeting with two tentative meetings depending on the result of the first meeting. They also were being treated to two days at Universal Theme park. Aurora decided to come a few days early to visit with Emily. She was nervous, petrified actually about everything that was happening. Though she communicated with the other girls of the harem, none of them actually met. Now they were all being flown in from all over for this all-expense paid folly. Once she got to the hotel, she unpacked and put on her swimsuit. It was a beautiful day, so she went to the pool to unwind. There, she read over the emails from the studio again and read the script that she all but memorized by this point. She shook her head looking through everything. Not a peep from Rory or his agent, all Aurora could expect from this was a free vacation.

Two days later, they were all together and riding in an elevator. They were headed to their meeting and nervous as hell. They were holding hands and telling each other to breathe. They felt a little better after a meeting with Emily and her agent friend the night before for supper. They all agreed on one thing, they were not giving up their rights or creative control, whatever happened with this script...it was theirs. 

The meeting room was bright and sunny, everyone sat around the large table. Soon they were joined by three people. They introduced themselves as a lawyer, a publicist, and an assistant director. There was an empty place at the table, but Aurora didn't give it much thought. Soon the girls were presented with the vision for the movie based on their script. They wanted it shot on location and be used as a test of sorts for innovative cinematography techniques. Shockingly, the script was not going to be altered, if anything it would just be fixed for format. The director had ideas that went beyond the movie itself.

Aurora looked over at her companions before asking, “So a director is truly interested?”

“Yes, he should be here any moment, “ the DA answered. 

As if on cue, the door swung open and a distinguished man swept in. He immediately started shaking the women's hands. “So thrilled to finally meet you. I'm Robert Zemeckis, and I can't wait to share my vision for this project “ He went on to recap what was already said and added that he wanted to shake up Hollywood. “Everything is a tired remake or the same old trope,” he explained, “you are fresh, new  _ and  _ outsiders!”

“So we are being used as a scare tactic?” Issa raised her eyebrow that the director.

Robert chuckled, “not used. There is more in store for you ladies!”

“What are you driving at?” Kat asked, point blank.

“We need an industry Cinderella story, “ he answered.

“Come again?” Lizzie cocked her head at him.

“Unknown writers and movie fans take Hollywood by storm and captures the imagination of Robert Zemeckis,” the publicist stands and spreads her arms.

“And then signs their rights away…” Margarita starts.

“It wouldn't be a 'Cinderella story’ if we pushed her down the stairs. You all retain creative rights,” Robert smiled at them.

“Really?” Adelie was skeptical.

The lawyer stood then, “You all will retain the creative rights and will be on location during shooting as creative consultants.”

“There's more, “ the publicist smiled, “we will help you apply and pay the fees for two years dues to SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild, the Screenwriters Guild, and the Academy of Arts and Sciences. Because it wouldn't be a Cinderella story without award shows.” 

Aurora looked around the table, her friend's jaws were open in shock. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, “I guess this hinges on one thing, our lead has to be who we wrote this for, Rory McCann.”

Robert pinched the bridge of his nose, “Ah yes.  _ Him _ .”


	4. Twist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is more in store for the harem than they thought.

Robert put his hands on the table, “I have never had such a reluctant actor as this.”

“That's why we wrote this in the first place,” Aurora explained, “we wanted to lure him out with a role he'd love.”

“It took several tries just to convince him to  _ read  _ it in the first place, I had to have Val Kilmer call him to twist his arm.” Robert laughed at the shocked faces at the table before continuing, “then  _ he _ had demands of his own.”

The assistant director chimed in, reading from a sheet, “to be a part of location scout crew for coastal scenes, sailing yacht model approval, and  _ he  _ sails. Any other sailors are only there to appraise insurance.”

“So that means…” Aurora felt for Adelie and Issa's hands under the table, grabbed them, and noticed the intense looks of the others with her.

“He's in,” Robert smiled at them. The air left Aurora's lungs and she felt lightheaded. She looked around the table at her friends, they looked stunned. 

She felt the prick of tears behind her eyes, “holy shit,” she whispered. Soon the room erupted in screams as they jumped up and hugged each other.

“Wait one minute,” Margarita stopped jumping up and down and turned to Robert, “you said you were paying for membership into SAG-AFTRA, we're not actors.”

“Thank you for bringing it up,” Robert said, “no, you are not actors... yet.”

The publicist stood up then and smiled, coming around to the side of the table where everyone stood, “the ultimate Cinderella story. Not only did you write it, but you're also going to be in it.”

“As extras?” Kat asked.

“Or as a bellhop that has one line?” Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“No,” the assistant director laughed, “you’ll be the girls.” All six of them froze.

“It's obvious you wrote the parts after yourselves,” Robert stood and joined the publicist, “there is a lot of work that goes into pre-production, plenty of time to learn the mechanics. You already know the story and the lines word for word.”

Aurora opened her mouth and shut it, she was speechless. The publicist had them sit again and directed everyone to a slide presentation as packets were handed out. Each one had their name on the corner. Everyone was assigned to a local acting coach, a personal trainer, a stylist, and a nutritionist; they were to get started as soon as they got home. Once pre-production was over, they would continue while filming. “The production team will be with you every step of the way,” the publicist concluded. 

The lawyer stood up next and passed out more papers, “this is the contract drawn up for you. I will answer any questions, but you'll see it's very straightforward.”

“We want to stay in contact with all of you collectively, but in case we can't, who do you name as your lead?”

“Aurora.”

“It was Aurora's idea to write a script.”

“Aurora is the one that sent it in.”

“Aurora is the one that sent Rory's agent the script”

“We are all together creatively, but Aurora was the push.”

“Well, I guess we have our answer,” the lawyer chuckled, “Aurora do you agree to be the main contact?” Aurora nodded, stunned.

“How long do we have to think about this contract?” Adelie asked.

“You have until tomorrow at noon.” 

They started reading. The lawyer was right, it was very straightforward. They retained the rights and had total creative control during the process along with Robert. Each of them had their role in the film outlined as well as Rory's requirements. They were to be paid a flat rate as screenwriters, scale as actors, and were going to get a small backend percentage of the net.

“Are you going to be rich after this?” Robert started, “no. But your training, expenses and any fees will be covered.”

“This is going to be a fun project for everyone involved,” the publicist added, “this will be just what the industry needed.” 

The assistant director gave them all his card, “I'll be in contact tomorrow morning.”

After handshakes and hugs, the group went into the elevator. The doors barely closed before they started screaming and hugging each other all over again

That night over a celebratory dinner, Emily and her friend looked over the contract, “Robert is right. This won't make you rich. But having all of your expenses covered is a very generous deal. Though the points are low for the backend, you could make some coin if this takes off.” Emily smiled, “Go for it.” 

They raised their glasses to make a toast and Aurora laughed, “ladies, let's make a movie.”

The next day the contracts were signed and the whirlwind began. They received their schedules and their goals during short meetings. The next two days were tours and excitement at the theme park. They spent their last night at the pool, coordinating schedules and travel plans. Aurora was staring into the sky, her mind swirling, “Guys. We are playing out our fanfiction fantasy,” she grinned as her chin quivered, “we are going to be kissing Rory. A lot.”

Issa fanned herself, “I’m going to nibbling his ears!”

“Oh my God, I’m going to have my face buried in chest hair,” Kat sighed.

“I’ll be nuzzling that nose,” Margarita giggled.

“Those eyes are all mine to drown in,” Lizzie groaned.

Adelie laid back on her lounge and flicked her wrist, “that chin will be kissed bare!”

Aurora sat back heavily on her chair, suddenly feeling dizzy, “my God. I’m going to be sucking on his fingers.”

“And damn you Aurora for saying not to go explicit!” Lizzie laughed.

“Yeah! Dammit, Aurora!” Kat added, throwing her towel at her. Soon Aurora was covered in towels as her friends laughed and called her a cockblocker. Aurora realized she was going to miss them during pre-production.

 

Most of the pre-production time back home was spent with her acting coach and personal trainer. Aurora was insulted at first that she had to see the trainer. But, after time, she realized it wasn't just her weight, the routine she was on helped build her stamina too. There were going to be long days and nights ahead of her. With the trainer and diet the nutritionist put her on, she had buckets of more energy. Her acting coach not only hammered away at the mechanics of acting, but they also discussed the methods of movie making. Every Friday they would watch several different movies and talk about them. Aurora was seeing things she never saw before. Her coach also taught her to be in the moment, to act instinctively. “Of course it’s easy to a point,” he told her, “you are playing a role you wrote yourself! But the key is not to worry about what other people may think of you or your role. Be it, the good and the bad of it.” 

“So I am method acting myself?”

“But you are NOT Aurora, a woman from the Midwest and first-time actor. You are Aurora, a coffee shop owner in Morocco that is love with a man of mystery. A woman with secrets of her own.” Aurora never thought of it that way, in her head she was herself playing a role. She had to be the role, feel what she was feeling. After that, it became much easier and she felt her nerves melting away. She talked to the other women several times a week, everybody was training hard and anxious to begin their adventure.


	5. On location

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Aurora handle the pressure?

Aurora had a weekly call with the first Assistant Director, Scott - so she was surprised to see his number on her cell the day after their usual meeting. “Scott, everything going alright?” She held her breath waiting for the answer.

“The scouts have their final list of shooting locations that align with the harbors that Rory suggested,” he replied happily.

“That's wonderful!”

“I'm sending a list and photos to the group. Also, Rory found a great boat for a steal.”

“A steal?” Aurora asked.

“A buddy in the business is letting us charter a beauty for 6 months...for nearly nothing.”

“Wow that’s great,” Aurora was thrilled that Rory seemed invested in making the movie work like the rest of the team.

“Robert wants everyone to go to their specific locations for costume and make-up tests. A schedule will be sent with the list.”

“We aren't meeting together in a specific place?”

“No, due to the difference in climates and lighting for each place, it will be individual.”

“That sounds expensive.”

“It is, but since we are trying out these new innovations, we don't want to skimp on anything.”

“Makes sense.”

“And since you ladies are making scale, we can afford to put money into other things.

“You're welcome, Scott,” Aurora laughed.

“Thanks, Aurora!”

The email came and Aurora was shocked that she was first. The crew worked their way South to scout and now were making their way North to test, do rehearsals, and finalize everything. She called her coach and trainer immediately in a panic.

Her trainer laughed, “Aurora, you are ready!”

“All of you are ready!” Her acting coach reassured her and told her he'd be a phone call away. “Robert won't let you fail,” he told her before they hung up.

She packed a bag and left an emergency key with her neighbor. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Before she knew it, she was boarding a flight to Madrid in order to connect to a flight to Tangier. She bought the Wifi package so she could chat with her friends. They were excitedly getting ready for their own flights that were coming up. Aurora didn't ask Scott, and she to too nervous to ask, _was Rory going to be there?_ The thought of it took her breath away.

When Aurora finally arrived in Tangier, she was wiped. It was much warmer than home and the sun was bright. She went straight to the hotel and fell asleep. She knew she could not sleep for long, or else she would not sleep that night, but damn...she needed a nap. She woke up feeling refreshed and ordered room service. She sat on the balcony while she ate and soaked in the sun and the fresh air. She picked up her script and read her scene over for what seemed the millionth time. _Why why WHY did I write such a passionate scene?_ She was finding it harder to breathe and realized soon after that she was having a panic attack. She put her head between her knees and counted to ten as she inhaled and back down to one on the exhale. _Remember what you learned, admit you are nervous and practice_ . At that, she started laughing while simultaneously gasping for air. _I'm going to have a heart attack before my lips even get near his_ . She remembered the tip she got about practicing kissing. _Well, here goes nothin'._ She had a glass of wine and kissed the back of her hand by the thumb until she giggled with embarrassment.

The next morning a car picked her up to go to the lot where trailers were set up. They close to the filming location; it was small but worked as makeshift storage, offices, dressing rooms, costume, and makeup HQ. Aurora was glad she stopped at the small cafe in her hotel lobby, the breakfast sandwich and hazelnut cappuccino she carried looked like the only food around this early. The car dropped her off and she made her way to Trailer 5 to meet with the hairdresser. It was very quiet and she checked her watch, she was fifteen minutes early. That would give her plenty of time to eat and get her bearings. Thankfully, the trailer door was unlocked and she walked in. Before she could even take in her surroundings, the bag was snatched from her hand.

“About buggering in time. I'm starving. Did you get lost?”

Aurora followed the giant hand to the giant arm to the man towering in front of her. She felt her mouth drop open in shock as Rory McCann glanced in the bag and pulled out her sandwich. “What the hell is this?” He snarled, “no matter.” At that, her whole breakfast was shoved in his mouth.

She tried talking, but words failed her completely. Her mouth opened, then closed. She just stared at him. Then the coffee disappeared from her hand.

“Hey -”

He ignored her feeble attempt at a protest and started to slam her coffee, only to gag a second later. Soon, Aurora was covered in a spray of hazelnut scented coffee. “What is this crap?!” he fumed.

That did it. She lunged forward and grabbed her cup from his hand and slammed it down on the side counter, “that *crap* was MY coffee and that sandwich you inhaled was MY breakfast. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What's wrong with me? What kind of assistant did Scott hire? You - “ He was thankfully interrupted by a knock and a head poking through the door.

“Mr. McCann, here is your sausage and egg white sandwiches with a large black coffee.” She put the bag and cup in his hands and was gone as quickly as she appeared.

Rory looked at Aurora, then the door, then the food in his hands, and back to Aurora. He put the bag and cup down and slowly rubbed his hand down his face. “I really should not be permitted to talk to anyone before breakfast.” He opened the bag and fished out a napkin and handed it to Aurora. She wiped her face. She picked up her now half-empty coffee and took a long drink of her now cooled cappuccino. When she finished, she looked pointedly at the bag, “I believe she said sandwiches.” Her voice was squeaky and nervous, even though she was seething inside.

“I do owe you, don't I?” He reached in and pulled out a wrapped sandwich and handed it to her with a weak smile, “when you are done, you are free to spit coffee in my face.” At that, Aurora laughed a little. But what she really wanted was to sit down and cry. This was not the start she envisioned. She took the sandwich and set in an empty chair in front of the large lighted mirror. “Thank you for sharing,” she mumbled before she started eating.

His sandwich disappeared and he took a large swallow of coffee.

“I'm sorry about before,” he put his hand out, “Rory.”

Aurora wiped her hand and took his, “Aurora.”

Now it was his turn to look shocked, “Aurora. One of the screenwriters. Aurora, the one that sent my agent the script. Aurora,” his cheeks reddened the tiniest bit, “my soon to be co-star?”

She looked him straight in the eye, “the very one.”

After several apologies on his part, Aurora finally accepted them. He had just asked her about her flight when a woman burst in.

“I am sorry I'm late! I'm Angie, hair.” Angie wasted no time and immediately started fussing behind Aurora. Soon rollers we're plugged in and an array of clips appeared in the counter. Angie began sectioning Aurora hair while talking a mile a minute. Aurora was getting big curls what would be piled on her head with a loose curl or two hanging by her ears. Aurora nodded, it sounded perfect. In no time, her hair was in curlers. Then Angie turned to Rory, “you need a trim on those sideburns.” She lifted his chin, “I need to call an esthetician about your neck and chest -”

“NO!” Aurora was so loud, she startled herself.

“No?” Angie laughed,” he is like a bear.”

“No. Not one follicle gets removed. Not. One.” She reached for her phone and texted Scott. This was going to be her first test of control? Waxing? She hit send. Rory said nothing but looked slightly amused. When her phone buzzed she reached for it, “well, here we go.” She glanced down and grinned, “Angie? His hair stays. Just trim the sideburns, the beard, and mustache around the corners of the mouth.”

When she turned back toward the mirror she heard a low, “dammmmn” come from him.

Aurora's hair was done and Angie put a wide hair wrap around it, “time to go to trailer 3 for your fitting.” Aurora got up and made her way to the door and she heard Angie tell Rory to park it in the chair.

Her costume was a light blue mosaic dress with a laced v-neck. A silk sash, low heeled sandals, dangling earring and bangle bracelets completed the look.  She was tucked and pinned, soon the dress was taken off and she put on a robe. “ Very few alterations need to be made thanks to the measurements you sent last week. By the time you finish makeup, it will be done.” Betty the seamstress smiled at her. She was heading to makeup when she saw Rory go into the trailer she just left. She felt the blush creep up her neck, he could have walked in on her changing! Talk about awkward! Makeup took the longest. Bronzer, blush, highlighter were brushed on. False eyelashes, liner, shadow, and mascara were applied with precision. Lipliner and a coppery red lipstick finished the look. Aurora gasped when she looked in the mirror.

“Too much?” Susan asked.

“Maybe not such a smokey eye, but it looks beautiful. Just what I envisioned.”

Just then Rory walked in and he stopped dead in his tracks, “Wow. That looks nice.”

Aurora fidgeted, “thanks.” Rory was wearing a linen suit with a black shirt and he looked fantastic. Her tummy did a little nervous flip. Before she knew it, Betty was there with her dress.

Susan had Rory in her chair and motioned to a screen, “go ahead and change there.”

Betty volunteered to help so her makeup would not get smudged. Aurora suspected that Betty sensed she was nervous and smiled at the woman. Soon the dress and accessories were back on and she stepped back out.

“Beautiful!” Susan gushed.

“Very nice,” Rory remarked, his eyes swept from her top to bottom.

“You are looking very nice yourself.”

Scott popped his head into the trailer, “15 minutes!”

Susan only had to use a matting powder on Rory, Aurora was a bit jealous that he took all off 1 minute to be done. She tapped out a quick message to the girls, ‘I'll be on Skype in 2 minutes. Very short pow-wow.’ she sat down and opened her app and started connecting. Soon, her friends' names popped on the screen and Aurora activated the video. “Hello from ‘Rail girl 6,’” she waved.

“Holy shit, you look great”

“I love that dress”

“That makeup...wow”

“Did you meet him?”

“Yes, what's he like”

Aurora laughed, “made a hell of a first impression.” She motioned to him and angled the phone, “say hello!”

Rory got on camera, “I almost got fired this morning!” He laughed at the shocked looks on the screen. Aurora rattled off introductions and promised a longer call later that night. Scott popped his head in and tell them it was go time.

“Here we go,” she said nervously and waved goodbye to her friends.

The tests were a bit tedious, but Aurora understood the need. They were not on a climate controlled soundstage. Mattifier was swapped for powder and the hairspray for her updo was upgraded to industrial strength. Sweat shields were going to be sewn into their costumes and Betty appeared with “chicken cutlets” to boost her boobs up. Her sandals were too low and they were swapped out for a taller heel.

They went back and forth between a hat or no hat for Rory. Finally, Scott turned to Aurora, “Your call.”

“It's hot here, try a breathable hat,” she turned to Rory, “it's your head. What would make you comfortable?”

“Let's try that straw fedora.” A hat appeared and Betty put it on.

“I like it,” Aurora turned to Scott, “it fits the outfit.”

“I agreed,” Scott replied, “straw hat it is.“

After adjustments and test filming, Scott called for a two-hour lunch. The afternoon would be rehearsals. At that, Aurora's stomach clenched. She swore she felt the blood leaving her face. She walked quickly to her trailer, kicking the shoes off and taking off the jewelry almost instantly. The dress was next and she hung it carefully as Betty taught her. Her hair was rewrapped and out of her face. She sat and leaned against the wall. _This is it, this is when they realize I'm a fraud. Why why why did I write a racy scene?_ She turned on her fan and tried to relax. She sent a group message to the girls explaining her less than perfect start with Rory. But the time she finished, she was laughing. She went on to tell of her morning and admitted she was scared.

“You can do it!”

“You have to break the ice.”

“Didn't your coach tell you to talk to Rory first?”

“Holy crap, Aurora. You should have discussed this already.”

“You better call us tonight!”

They were right, her acting coach did say she should talk it out beforehand. But when? She barely had a moment all day. She could feel her chest tightening. _Not a good time for a panic attack, Aurora!_

She just decided that she needed to eat, whether she felt like it or not. She started to get up when there was a knock. She answered it and was surprised to see Rory there with a few food containers.

“You didn't stop to eat, so I brought you something.”

She stared at him.

“Aurora?”

“Yes?”

He laughed, “come I come in?”

She moved aside, “sorry.”

He came in and put the containers down before turning toward her, “you are nervous.”

“Yes, very.”

“So am I.”

That surprised her, “come on, you’re an actor!”

“An actor that doesn't get many scenes like this!”

“True.” She fidgeted on her seat.

“So what did your acting coach teach you?”

“To talk to you.” She smiled at him, relaxing a bit.

“What else did he tell you?”

“To discuss the scene and,” she swallowed, “technique.” Her face was red, she knew it.

He took her hand and patted it, “so. Let's talk.”

They talked about the scene. She told him what made her nervous, and he told her. He told her how “stage kissing” was awkward, but how real kissing could really make a mess of makeup.

She laughed when he told her about ridiculous tips he got and how it confused the hell out of him.

“The best way is to just do it.”

“Just do it,” she paused, “that sounds too easy.”

“It can be easy. Look, we are having fun now talking about it,” he shrugged, “we start by giving each other a peck to get the jitters out. Then move up to what we need.”

“Sounds good. After I get comfortable then I can shift into ‘Rail Girl 6’.”

“Exactly and I'll do the same and get into my Alex role.”

They sat and looked at each other for a moment and Aurora just threw caution to the wind and leaned forward quickly to press her lips against his.

She pulled back and smiled, _I could do this._ She scooted closer and leaned in again.


End file.
